Eleven more John Brown University student-athletes, joining 52 fall sport student-athletes, from men's and women's basketball earned recognition from the Sooner Athletic Conference on Monday, June 24, by being named to the Academic All-Conference teams.
To be eligible for Academic All-Conference selection, student-athletes must be letter winners who are in at least their second academic year at their institution and carry a cumulative grade-point average of 3.25 or higher, over the previous two semesters.
Men's basketball placed six selections on the list, one fewer than Mid-America Christian (Okla.) which boasted the most of any SAC men's basketball program. Women's basketball had five honorees. Last year, the Golden Eagles placed a combined 13 to the list between the basketball programs.
Overall in 2018-19, John Brown student-athletes set a new single-season record by claiming 63 slots on the coveted Academic All-Conference teams, compared to 56 last academic year, improving the number of selections by over 12 percent.
"I am extremely proud of our student-athletes and the success they are having in the classroom," director of athletics Robyn Daugherty said. "The lifelong lessons and skills our students learn while competing in athletics is life-changing, but we also know that a college education is foundational for lifetime success. Our coaches do a fantastic job of prioritizing academics to all of our student-athletes. Academic rigor is high at JBU, and our coaches and student-athletes are committed to achieving in this environment."
The conference office also awards Team Academic All-Sooner Athletic distinctions and the Commissioner's Honor Roll, both to be presented at the end of the academic year. Teams that earn a cumulative 3.0 over the course of the academic year after averaging the GPAs of all letter winners will earn Team Academic All-Sooner Athletic accolades while individual student-athletes that carry a cumulative 3.0 GPA over the previous two semesters garner a slot on the Commissioner's Honor Roll. Both distinctions are granted in June.
All SAC academic awards are presented by Cypress Risk Management, an Omaha, Neb., based insurance agency that specializes in providing customized solutions for collegiate student health and athletic accident insurance. The organization currently insures over 500,000 students nationwide and is already engaged with several other NAIA conferences in similar types of partnerships. Cypress Risk Management's partnership with the SAC gives it exclusive sponsorship to the academic awards program that covers the 13 men's and women's NAIA-sanctioned sports the conference offers.
2019 Spring Academic All-Sooner Athletic Honorees
Name^Sport^Class^Hometown
Quintin Bailey^Men's basketball^Junior^Stratford, New Zealand
Braden Bayless^Men's basketball^Freshman^Tulsa, Okla.
Josh Bowling*^Men's basketball^Senior^Detroit, Mich.
Jake Caudle*^Men's basketball^Senior^Bentonville
Rokas Grabliauskas^Men's basketball^Sophomore^Kaunas, Lithuania
Benjamin Smith*^Men's basketball^Senior^Bentonville
Baily Cameron^Women's basketball^Senior^Siloam Springs
Karina Chandra*^Women's basketball^Senior^Brisbane, Australia
Taylor Fergen^Women's basketball^Sophomore^Republic, Mo.
K.J. Roh*^Women's basketball^Junior^Lincoln, Neb.
Ally Teague^Women's basketball^Junior^Berryville
* Denotes repeat selection
Sports on 06/30/2019